1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates in general to removable shelves or trays for use with portable tripods and easels.
2. Description of Related Art
Tripods have been in widespread use for many years. They are commonly used as a support for a number of different applications. For example, tripods are often used for cameras, telescopes, and easels. Many such tripods are designed to be collapsible and easily portable. As a result, these tripods do not typically include any type of permanently-attached shelf or storage tray despite the usefulness that a shelf or tray would provide.
Because of this common shortcoming, various removable shelves have been introduced. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,240,857 to Elizer discloses a removable shelf assembly for use with a tripod or easel. However, the Elizer removable shelf requires support arms and clamps that add to the expense and complexity of the removable shelf. Thus, there remains a need in the art for a simple, inexpensive removable shelf that can be used with a tripod.